About

Mike Vogel is a produced playwright, op-ed writer, business writer, songwriter/club performer and lifetime New Yorker who writes weekly opinion and satirical columns for amNew York and Newsday. His latest play (Senior Moment) was produced off-Broadway on Theatre Row at NYC’s Lion Theatre.

I today read your comments on an online Times article that hit home with me (essentially calling for Obama to get some balls and to stop trying to appease the schizophrenic GOP). Thanks for posting your blog URL, which I visited and read with great interest and in some cases amusement. Your views on your selected issues parallel mine, but I’ve never been able to express them as lucidly and as compellingly as you. You now have a fan in California (among many, I’m sure), although I’m another born and bred New Yorker.

I just saw your comment on Nicholas Kristof’s “The Opposing Party” NYT op-ed piece and had to check out your blog. You took the words right out of my mouth — especially in pointing out the error of Kristof’s ways in siding with the Republicans on tort reform. I, too, just watched “Hot Coffee,” one of the most eye-opening, view-altering documentaries I’ve seen in a while. If only it would be required viewing for everyone in this country.

True, too, your comment about an uneducated/ignorant populace. If people don’t know what the debt ceiling actually is (from what I see around me, few people get it and almost no one in a position to do so is helping to change that), and their only information sources lie to them about what it is and why it is significant, people will gleefully poll (and vote) against their own best interests.

In a country that seems to be filled by increasingly ridiculous and foolish citizens, I’m always happy to discover someone who doesn’t view critical thinking as optional.

way to go in your assessment of sen. olympia snowe in the ny times. she ceased to be an independent, thinking legislator long about 2000–when bush came in. she caved in a heartbeat.

i live in maine and am looking forward to voting for her replacement and hoping that he/she will be someone who will actually be someone who will vote with a true conscience and a brain. i believe that snowe started out well but couldn’t stand up when it counted. her voting record in the last decade has been abysmal save her vote on the blunt amendment.

I love the kind of barnacle critique you lash onto other Op-Ed writers. In a way it keeps the talking heads and opinion screamers (or whisperers) honest. Good stuff. Enjoyed your arts notes as well. New York Gitty is a good place.

Hello Mike, just read your column regarding “Mr Type A makes subway cell service a curse”. And after reading it, it dawned on me, while my initial feeling was that it will be great to have cell & wifi service in the subways, there was the concern about terrorists – but not only that. My main concern after reading your column was the reality and the serious danger of the “train operator”/”driver” texting and talking while operating the train.

I just read your article on cell service on subways from AM New York. To be honest, its NOT the ‘Mr. Type A’ personalities that I am worried about with cell phone service on the subways. It’s the “I got myself a free cell phone and I’m going to use it anytime I can” personalities I am worried about.

Hi Mike,
It’s taken me a while to write, but I wanted to say that your column “Stigmatize pregnant teens? That’s the point” was phenomenal. Thank you for finally saying what a lot of people are thinking- that teens have a CHOICE whether or not they want to become parents and some people need to be told that having a child is a MAJOR responsibility, both financially and emotionally. And that the Mayor was right to run these ads. Keep up the good work Mike!

I have seen the driver you mentioned in your Magic Bus column, and even he is so more tolerable than the one I had more than once several years ago. He thought he was a stand-up comic.

There was an old TV show called the Addams Family and the butler would answer a door ring saying in a deep voice: You raaaaaang! This driver said that whenever a fare rang to get off the bus. Most people on bus laughed and the first time I thought it was amusing. This went on for my entire ride and when one man finally reached his stop he said “I can’t wait to get outta here!”

“That could’ve been you with those bikes” – AmNY, Mike Vogel
That was me.
On September 15th, a motorcycle was weaving in and out of traffic at an extreme speed on the Bruckner Expressway, he came between the highway divider and the left lane where my car was driving. In order to save his life, I swerved before he hit me and it caused my car to flip five times.

He left me for dead, two drivers behind me immediately stopped, and told me he had cut them off too. I’m alive, but I have chronic back pains, and neck problems.
The cops refused to go after him, they also refused to request video tape of the accident from the Department of Transportation. They essentially told me to forget the incident, and count my blessings; they had no intention to go after him.

The biker was wearing an all blue uniform, a blue helmet, on a blue bike.
Today they released confirmation that off duty cops were part of the attack on Alex Lien.
Why do police officers protect cyclists, and not victims? You tell me.

RE: Rate drivers of cabs
Mike, I have been driving for a living for 40 years. Tractor trailer driver by trade. Full time yellow cab driver from 1975-82 and livery cab intermittently. Every year, the powers that be make driving for a living less desirable. The most recent slap in the face to the yellow cab industry has been the addition of green cabs and Uber.
There has a been and will continue to be a chronic shortage of drivers in all industries. Why? Because industries do not pay well. Drivers who drive poorly do so for one reason: They are not being paid what they are worth. Any idea what a livery cab driver earns? $5-8.00 an hour! 72 hours a week. No union,no benefits, no job security,no driver retention. In many cases drivers must drive unsafe vehicles or go home without pay. Or worse,be terminated.
Yellow,green,black car,limo and livery cab are “Churn em and Burn em” industries and need to overhauled on a state and city level. These industries are over saturated. What is needed is something called”Limited Entry.” That is, a limited amount of cabs per 100,000 people. When demand exceeds supply employers will pay drivers more money. Finally,you should research the industry before you share your bright ideas with the city.

Great piece on subways and tolls today. Thanks for shout out for Move NY. Can you send me your twitter handle assuming you have one? I want to retweet the piece and post on FB and would like to include you.

Alex Matthiessen
Sam’s Partner in crime and the founder and director of Move NY

Mike Vogel, exactly how did you get this gig writing nonsense for Newsday? Also, explain to me what a “white supremacist” is. Someone who is here legally, works for a living, pays taxes and loves America and the flag?

No John, someone who is here legally, works for a living, pays taxes and loves America is me, and hopefully, you. Someone who sympathizes and marches with violent neo-Nazis and KKKers, which have a history of murdering innocent Jews, blacks and yes, Catholics, is a white supremacist.

Mike why don’t you leave our President alone already. I can’t recall you writing as much about Obama. Who really cares what Mr Trump eats. It shouldn’t effect normal folks.
Do you think because our president may or may not like McDonalds, its bad for America? Let’s not forget we had another president who woofed down Big Macs like it was his job. Oh wait you can’t write about that president cause he was a lib.

Thanks for writing, Jim. I am an independent who thinks Trump is an embarrassment to this great nation, and thank God that I live in a country where I can write this satirical piece about him (yes, I would have written the same about Bill Clinton’s Big Mac habits if I were writing columns at the time). Trump is now sending out directives saying government agencies can’t say certain words anymore, like “science-based.” That’s right out of Orwell’s 1984, and should scare every patriotic American.

I read your editorial while on the subway from “AM New York”, May 2, 2018 about “Subways going to the dogs” and I must agree with you. I have seen many pets on the subway and I believe one got loose and ran onto the tracks several weeks ago. They had to close that subway line. I love dogs but some of these owners are so spoiled and don’t care about other people. This is also happening on the planes too. What happen to protecting humans first? Thanks for your comments.

We love reading your stories each week in Newsday. Loved today’s Trump / Michael Moore piece and the last sentence was the very best. Interesting comparisons. Trump is a major embarrassment ALL THE TIME. When will this exhausting man leave the office?